Christmas Decorating Favorites

Charlotte Moss

 

This stunning photo from Charlotte Moss' Manhattan East 70s townhouse decorated for the Christmas holidays remains a favorite. The banister is decorated with a garland with coral and gold ribbons and large pinecones. I love the white floral arrangement on the entryway table. The two column pedestals have grapevine trees in blue and white planters. It looks like they are "decorated" with Spanish moss.

Holiday Decorating

And George

How have you been spending your long holiday weekend? Christmas decorating, Black Friday sales, eating Thanksgiving leftovers? I am all finished with decorating CCC for the holidays, I finished my Christmas shopping, and I even found myself some things on Black Friday sales.

A Coastal Christmas

Serena & Lily

Serena & Lily is having a storewide sale with their best pricing and free shipping. This is a great opportunity to grab a piece you have been eyeing. They also have a wonderful holiday collection with lots of wicker and blue and white.

Pomegranates

Flower Magazine

 

This is the beautiful cover of the November - December 2023 edition of Flower Magazine. I especially like the platter filled with pomegranates. I was in Publix yesterday and they had a fresh shipment of pomegranates in and I bought several.

Studio McGee for Target Christmas Launch

Studio McGee for Target Holiday

The always popular Studio McGee Holiday Collection for Target launches overnight tonight at 3 a.m. EDT, which is why I am posting now for any of you night owls. I will be up because I am determined to get the wicker tree collar pictured above before it sells out. I have no clue why their designer collaboration launches have always been in the middle of the night.

Christmas Taboos

Golf Cart Ornaments

 

I recently read a House Beautiful online article about Christmas decorating no - nos. One was decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving. I have always subscribed to this and waited to start decorating for the holidays until the day after Thanksgiving. This year since Thanksgiving fell so late, on November 28th, I decided to start decorating before Thanksgiving. 

Setting the Holiday Table

Juliska

 

This is quite fabulous - a large crystal bowl filled with different varieties of oranges, kumquats, greenery (rosemary or Christmas tree cuttings) and orange protea. This would make a wonderful centerpiece for the holidays. And if your china is blue and white that is great - I love orange with blue and white. If protea are hard to find, apricot colored roses would be pretty or other flowers in the orange family. You can use floral stem tubes with water hidden in the oranges so the cut flowers don't wilt.

Decorating with Fruit for the Holidays

And George

I love decorating with fresh fruit for the holidays. My favorites are pears, kumquats, and pomegranates. This is great inspiration from a favorite store And George in Charlottesville. Although Florida is the Kumquat Capitol of the United States, they are oddly hard to find here. The produce guy at Publix did not even seem to know what I was asking for.

Christopher Radko Chinoiserie

Christoper Radko Chinoiserie Bloom

 

For those who collect Christoper Radko's gorgeous ornaments, here is a blue and white chinoiserie one called Chinoiserie Bloom. This would make a lovely Christmas gift for the chinoiserie lover. I collect special chinoiserie Christmas ornaments - I would often find gorgeous ones at Neiman Marcus - alas! - no NM close by.

Christmas Decorating Dilemma

Terrain

Surveys show that most people (65%) decorate their homes for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving. But this year Thanksgiving falls so late - on the 28th, leaving less time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The weekend after Thanksgiving is November 30th and December 1st!

Elegant Marble for the Holidays

Marble Decorative Trees

I love marble in my home. I have a herringbone honed marble backsplash and marble topped island in my kitchen at CCC and they add such elegance. I also love marble decor. I have found some very chic marble pieces for the holidays. 

The Chinoiserie Tabletop Tree

Chinoiserie Ceramic Christmas Tree

 

A tabletop chinoiserie tree is such a great little decor piece. Here are some chic picks ideal for a mantel, sideboard, bookcase, entryway table, kitchen counter, bedside table, and more. Perfect for holiday decorating and all year too.

Christmas Wreaths

Laura Dowling - Flower Magazine

 

Old Town in Alexandria, Virginia has an annual holiday outdoor decorating contest that was founded in 1959.

In keeping with Old Town’s historic provenance, contest rules require that – except for festive bows and ribbons – the decorations should feature only natural materials. For the residential contest, the decorations must all be made by the homeowners themselves. Professionally-made decorations are not eligible for the residential contest. For the commercial contest, decorations can be professionally created, however decorations should only feature natural materials.

Christmas in August

Red Seagrass Pineapple

Yes, I know it's August, and Christmas is months away, but I saw these and they would be so fabulous for the holidays - singly or a pair on a mantel, sideboard, kitchen island, table centerpiece, et al. I am getting a pair before they are gone. I love pineapples!

More Christmas at CCC

CCC

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments about my Christmas tree. Here are some Christmas vignettes at CCC. I even added a couple of Christmas gnomes to my decorations this year. I learned that gnomes came from Scandinavia, and I am Norwegian on my mother's side.

The Christmas Chinoiserie Dining Room

Alex Papachristidis

The Upper East Side of Manhattan apartment of interior designer Alex Papachristidis has always been a favorite of mine. Here is the plum dining room adorned for the holidays. The deep red roses and amaryllis are perfect examples of my taste in floral arrangements. First, I love using a lot of one type of flower in one color. I think it is far more elegant. And I love leaving flower stems long like this. Much more dramatic.

Christmas Chinoiserie Chic DIY

Caspari

 

I am not the biggest DIY person. When I do a DIY, I want it to be fast, easy, and with guaranteed success. Both of these projects basically involve a can of spray paint.

A Sneak Peek - Christmas @ CCC

CCC

 

I finished the ornaments for my two Amanda Lindroth wicker pagodas. I used real red coral, real pink sea urchins, and miniature Christmas ornaments. Oh, and a couple pairs of my earrings - Mignonne Gavigan lobster claws and J.Crew coral.

Inspiration for Decorating for the Holidays

Shelley Johnstone - Flower Magazine

Interior designer Shelley Johnstone, a favorite interior designer of mine, lives in Lake Forest, Illinois where I grew up. Her home, beautifully decorated for the holidays, is featured in Flower Magazine. Interestingly, her favorite color is chocolate brown which is probably my least favorite color, but she uses it deftly throughout her home. She does not like red for her own home for Christmas decorating, so she uses instead lots of green, white, chocolate brown, silver, gold, and touches of pink. The home is filled with chinoiserie including blue and white Chinese porcelain, rattan, wicker, Chinese Chippendale chairs, Greek key, framed chinoiserie panels, and bamboo flatware. She uses fresh greenery in her Christmas decorating and lots of fresh flowers like white paperwhites, amaryllis, and poinsettias, and pink and white tulips, peonies, ranunculus, and anemones.

A Coastal Christmas

Everything Turquoise

 

I am very excited to be decorating my Florida beach house this year with a coastal theme. It will be my own Palm Beach version of beachy, with lots of chinoiserie, blue and white, coral, and seashells. You need not have a beach house to embrace this coastal theme - it's a great look no matter where you call home. I have several posts planned over the next couple of weeks with great ideas and picks for a Coastal Christmas, so stay tuned.